Google has documented an experimental Product Listing Ads feature called the Deal Ends annotation, which places a countdown badge such as "3 days left" or "5 hours left" directly below a product's price. The Merchant Center help document describing it was reported by Search Engine Roundtable on 6 August 2026. Google says the annotations are "generated from your promotions and sale price [sale_price] submissions" and that no new technical format or tooling is required beyond what advertisers already use.
That last point is the whole story for anyone running Shopping campaigns. There is nothing to build and nothing to opt into. Google states that annotations are enabled automatically when product data meets the requirements, which makes the badge a feed hygiene question rather than a campaign setting.
What the Deal Ends annotation shows
The annotation is an urgency badge that sits under the price in a Product Listing Ad and shows the time left on a deal, in days or in hours. Google's help document gives "3 days left" and "5 hours left" as its examples. Because the countdown is generated from promotions and sale price submissions, the accuracy of the badge depends on the dates a merchant sends, not on anything written in the ad copy. For advertisers already running Google Ads Shopping campaigns, it is extra space in the ad unit at no additional cost per click.
A sale price only qualifies when both attributes are present
Google states that a sale price qualifies only when both the sale price [sale_price] attribute and the sale price effective date [sale_price_effective_date] attribute are present. A discount sent as a lower price with no effective date range gives Google no end point to count down to, so no badge appears. Plenty of older feeds carry sale_price on its own, because until now nothing in Shopping penalised the omission. That single missing attribute is the difference between getting the annotation and not getting it, and in most Shopify and other ecommerce feed setups it is a one-line fix.
Holiday eligibility is stricter than the rest of the year
The help document splits eligibility into a holiday window and everything outside it. The table below lists the thresholds as Google's document states them.
| Rule in Google's help document | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Holiday window | 15 October to 5 January |
| Minimum discount during the holiday window | At least 10% off the post-deal price |
| Minimum discount outside the holiday window | At least 5% |
| Price history in the holiday window | The deal must be the lowest effective price for that item in the last 60 days |
| Timing in the holiday window | The deal must be scheduled to expire within 7 days, with a minimum 60-day interval between Deal Ends at the individual offer level |
Google's document states one change for the rest of the year: the discount minimum drops from 10% to 5%. It does not restate the other thresholds for that period.
Where the feature does not run
Google describes the Deal Ends annotation as experimental and says it works globally except in EEA+, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The document does not say how long the experiment will run, whether the thresholds will change, or whether it will become a standard Shopping feature. Anything past that is guesswork.
What this means for Thai marketers
Thailand sits outside the excluded region, so Thai Merchant Center accounts fall inside the area where Google says the annotation operates. The mechanic also suits the local sale calendar, which runs on double dates: 8.8, 9.9, 11.11 and 12.12. A countdown under the price fits a campaign that already sells on a deadline.
The catch is the pair of 60-day rules. A store that discounts the same SKU every month cannot claim the lowest effective price of the past 60 days, and the minimum 60-day interval between Deal Ends at the individual offer level caps how often one offer can carry the badge. Permanent "always on sale" pricing, common across Thai marketplaces and ecommerce promotions, disqualifies a product outright. A merchant who wants the badge for an 11.11 push needs to be sure no price in the preceding 60 days was cheaper than the deal price.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Deal Ends annotation available in Thailand?
Google's document does not list eligible countries one by one. It says the feature works globally with the exception of EEA+, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and Thailand is not part of that excluded group. Google also calls the feature experimental, so availability could change.
Do I need new code, a new feed format or a new tool?
No. Google states that no new technical format or tooling is required beyond what advertisers already use. The annotation is generated from the promotions and sale price submissions a Merchant Center feed already carries, and it is enabled automatically when the product data meets the requirements.
Does this change anything about the campaigns I am running now?
Nothing in campaign settings changes, because there is no switch to turn on. The one useful action is checking whether the feed sends sale price effective date [sale_price_effective_date] alongside sale price [sale_price], since Google says a sale price qualifies only when both are present.
Can a product that is permanently discounted get the badge?
No. Google requires the deal to be the lowest effective price for that item in the last 60 days, so a price that is always marked down cannot qualify. The document also sets a minimum 60-day interval between Deal Ends at the individual offer level.
Is this a permanent Google feature?
Google calls it experimental in the help document, and that is the only status stated. There is no rollout timeline and no commitment to keep the feature, so treat it as a test that could change or stop.
The work here is unglamorous: check the feed, confirm the effective date attributes are populated, and plan discount depth so a sale clears 10% inside the 15 October to 5 January window and 5% outside it. If you want a second pair of eyes on a Merchant Center feed against these requirements before the next promotional cycle, Relevant Audience can go through it with you.
